Right out side of the Yu Garden

I loved this part of the Yu Garden  as we left it seems so serene and beautiful



As we leave the Yu Garden I took some pictures of people of the area and what they were doing, this fellow I guess was cleaning the area or going to feed the fish, what ever it was I thought it was an interesting picture.




A fast food place right out side of the garden. What is this lady on the right thinking?   Did she get me the right drink?  Or does she know her even.




This looked like intriguing place to go see a stage show or something.  Would you have gone in?




They are ready for the Tourist to buy their wares.




More eating places, I am sure the guy wanted us to come and buy what they were selling, but we could only look.  But it looked good.




This looked like  dumpling's, they are popular over here. We went to a Dumpling banquet while in  Xian, will tell you all about that later. 



June 20 - Fly to Shanghai and visit the Old City and Yu Garden.

This was Monday June 20.   We  were up early that morning and took one last look at Hong Kong and got to the airport  early, we finally got off about 11 a.m.  We had eaten breakfast and they served us lunch right away.  A chicken rice dish, cabbage salad, yogurt, roll and butter.  A little later with drinks and a cup of hogndog ice cream.  We were in the air for two hours.  At the Shanghai airport, we met Elaine our first guide.  She had been waiting for us quite awhile, she had a sign up with our names on it.  She had a driver with a van and bottles of water for us to drink.   It took us about 30 minutes to get to down  town.



Shanghai is is noted for its distinctive design at the top of their high rise buildings, one looked like a wagon wheel, another looked like a space ship,  like a flower, and like a bottle opener.      So we had fun taking pictures of them.   We saw the Space needle right off and wanted to stop and get pictures of it and Elaine told us we would do that later, as she wanted to take us to see the Yu Garden, locate in the center of the old city.  One of the most lavish and finest in china.  The home of the Provident Lord at one time. 



Our guide Elaine up at the right, she was a college graduate and spoke perfect English.   They make a good salary in the summer being guides for tourist.  She had lots of information to tell us about Shanghai.   As we rode into towards Shanghai, we actually saw that there were farms and small home in the country side, the down town had lots of high rise building, but not like Hong Kong buildings being so close together.  Much of the 1930 Shanghai has disappeared Elaine told us, but some of the down town strip called the Bund, you can still see glimpse of the pre war decadence of glamour bars, restaurants and shops.  




More of their building, there was one that look like a castle was built on top of it, but I could never get a picture of it.



The Entrance to get to the Yu Garden



There were lots of tourist mostly Chinese.  John is busy taking pictures, I hung back and took pictures of them.




This was really an interesting part of old town Shanghai.  The area is divided into six areas.  I'm not sure if we went to all the areas.




The Inter Garden ponds, featuring peaks, cliffs, and winding coves and gorges, and lots of golden fish. The zig zag bridge and mid Lake Pavilion.  Ten Thousand flower tower.   Here John is busy taking pictures and so are the rest of us.




The Grand Rockery, made of huanshi stone.  Jade Stone peak( read the sign) a spring that created these rocks




See Derek and Rita through an round closure, you see the Dragon wall below, the grey titted ridges, each with a Dragon head and body.  Waterfalls, gardens, gold fish pond, lots of history there.




We took many pictures can't show them all.  See the little scupture on the roof  above.  We went through the Jade Magnificence Hall finished with Rose wood pieces from the Ming Dynasty




We had Elaine take this picture of us.  It's very Chinese.



Sunday June 19 Visit two Ward today here in Hong Kong.

This was Sunday June 19 th, we had an early breakfast at the hotel as we walked in and passed the girls there to see that we were staying at the hotel, a young Chinese boy was with them.  One of the girls turn to the boys and ask if he knew what the tag on Johns suit coat was?  They were talking Cantonese and the boy said "He is a missionary.   John caught that.   Today we are attending two church meeting  that John served in.  We took a taxi over to Kowloon.   When he got to the area where the church was, the taxi driver  had no idea where to go.   So we got out of his taxi and found another one driver that was familiar to the area.   The church was located close to a freeway, almost under it as you can see from the picture above.  Derek and John are standing in front of it.  We weren't sure if it was going to rain that day, so we brought our umbrella's.  It didn't rain. They have nice racks for them.  The Filipino members were so happy to see John.  Rita is taking a picture of John and a Chinese boy he was companion to at one time.  I think, but I'm not sure now.  As the meeting got underway, a young Chinese boy sat behind us and interpreted the whole meeting for us.  We looked over and saw the other Missionary who's parent who come to pick them had interpretors too.   At the end of the meeting, the Bishop had the three missionaries going home come up and bare their testimonies.  They all bore a great testimony.  The young boy was right there to interpret their talks to us.  It was a pleasure to hear John speak so fluent in Cantonese.  Being Fathers day, the youth came up and sang to the fathers.    After the meeting we talk to the young boy who had interpreted for us, he wasn't 17, he was 28 and had served a mission in the San Francisco area  several years ago.  No wonder he knew English so well.



Being Fathers day they gave each father Orchid and mug.  Here you see Derek with the Orchid and mug, someone did a lot of work to put that together.  The other meeting were good, and everyone were so friendly to us.




After the meeting in Kowloon, we came back to our hotel room and rested a little then got a subway above and went to the Filipino Ward in Hong Kong.  




Here John, Rita, and Derek are standing in front of the church, that's just the entrance, there were rooms up on the 2n floor.  A couple from Idaho is the Branch President.  He ran a farm and said he had made enough money to retire, so they decided to go on  a mission and the church sent them here to Hong Kong.   This meeting was in English so didn't have any trouble hearing, but we did have a problem trying to stay awake.  It was 3 p.m. in the afternoon.




This is the Chapel, in this area is a lot of Filipino sisters who have joined the church.  John and his companion taught many of these girls.  One of the talks was given by a young  girl about her father, who had died a few years ago and she told us about his life.  .  We talk to her afterward, her name was Irene, she is engaged to a boy back in the Philippine's and they will be married in the Temple in October.   They gave all the fathers a flashlight to remind them to be a "Light" unto their family.  They invited all to stay after the meetings was over with for a special father day program.  In that ward they didn't have many children or youth, cause is mostly made of up of young women from the Philippines.
All the  teacher in the Gospel Doctrine class and Relief Society were very good teachers.  The teacher in the Gospel Doctrine had us break in four different groups.  Each of us was in a different group, except John and I.  We were to discuss  "Why do we keep the Sabbath day holy"  so Derek represent his group and John our group.  It was a wonderful class.




Rita and I went into the Relief Society class, the President was one of the older Filipino women and the teacher was one of the young girls.  The lesson was on "Talents"  I had that lesson in my ward the week before, and this girl gave lesson equal or maybe even better.  I was very impressed with these sisters.  After the meeting they were all so friendly and greeted us and wanted to talk to us.  So I got out my camera to take some pictures, before we knew it they wanted Rita and I to be in a picture with them above.
As you can see of the pictures of the children that was about all they had in their primary.  The picture below is of a couple from California, who were recently assigned there as missionaries.  In talking to them I found out that they had actually lived in the area of Grossmont Ward in San Diego at one time.  It's a small world people say.




After church we all gathered  in this big room for the Fathers Day Program.  Talks were given about fathers, they had all the girls get up and sing some songs about fathers, like the Primary would do.  Then they wanted to play this game, the leader tells some one something and it goes down the line and at the end one has to repeat what is said.   Derek got up with the men to play it.  Rita got up with the women to play it.  The Branch President is the heavy set man you see in the picture above, he is a very jovial man and lets his counselors lead out, he more or less makes sure every thing is done right.




Above some of the sister singing the fathers day songs.  The tall lady is the Branch President's wife.  The sisters playing the game and Rita getting whispered too.  She will whisper it to the Relief Society next to her




The table of food was prepared, they do this quite often so these girls get to mingle and enjoy a meal.  I talked to the Branch Presidents wife, they give the Relief Society the money to buy the ingredients to buy the food out of their own pockets and the sisters fix it right  there in the church kitchen.  Most of the girls couldn't afford to bring anything, they don't make much money and most work for wealthy families who live in Hong Kong, that is why they are there.  Rita and I talked to one girl , that told us she went to college in the Philippine's  and got her degree to teach school.  They hardly payed her any thing and wanted her to just donate her time to it.  She couldn't support her self under the circumstances so came to Hong Kong like the other girls did, and now working for a wealthy family.





On the way back to the hotel John took us by the area where the girls from the Philippine congregate on their days off.  They can't stay at the home where they work.  So they gather here in this area.   So the girls that have been converted to the gospel, will go down and talked to the girls and invited them to come to the International House, were it's safe and the Missionaries have taught all these girls you see at church and help them have better life knowing about the gospel.



After the visit to the Monkey Park, meetings at the International House.

After our visit to the Monkey Park, John wanted to get back in town to go to the International Building above where church service were held through the after noon for different Filipino girls and others who couldn't attend on Sunday.  It started at 3 p.m. and we didn't get back until 3.  This building was just a little ways from our hotel room.  Rita, Derek and John hurried to get their clothes changed and ready to go.  I didn't want to hold them back, so decided to stay at the hotel.  I was tired and laid down and took a nap while they were gone.   They didn't get back until around 7 p.m.  I think they attended two meetings.  This building was where John and companion were sent  for a few months to work with the Filipino girls.  They taught and had many baptism there.



Rita came back to the hotel with this bouquet of flowers, the young Filipino sisters gave flowers to all the missionary mothers.  She was so glad she went, as all the other mothers of missionaries who came to pick their sons up were there.  The Branch President and wife from Idaho were there, so they got to visit with them.  There was picture taking session from the sisters, and John got the address of those he taught and baptized which he hoped to do.  John took his mom and dad through the area and showed them where his apartment was when he lived and worked there.   Rita will post her pictures she took there that day.  That evening Derek's cousin Ron Barrett, living out of Hong Kong about an hour away, was coming in to have dinner with us.  Rita will include that in her blog.  He told us some interesting facts about missionary work in China.  After dinner John wanted to take us to an ice cream shop, it was interesting how they served it.  Rita has pictures of that too.



June 18 Saturday morning off to visit the Monkey Park.

This was Saturday June 18, and John wanted to take us to the Monkey Park, he had been there before, but wasn't sure just where it was.  He and Derek found the directions.  We were to take bus bus 81, we walked up and down looking for where it would stop.  Finally Rita said "This is enough walking for us, we will sit here until you find it.  So while sitting I was taking pictures of interesting people walking down the street.  A grandmother and  grand daughter, a family, see all Chinese aren't skinny.  Family's not knowing where they are going.  Man selling news papers.  Some times it's fun to be a people watcher.



John finds the right bus stop, we wait, about ten buses come by before 81 comes along, we look around and I take a picture of the shop with all the dishes right next to where we wait. If I had known how long we had to wait I would have gone in to see what treasures was in there.  By the time the bus came there was about 20 people waiting, we happen to be the first.  So Rita and I got the front seat, she took the picture.  The ride took us about 20 minutes to the park.  Way to soon for the nice seats we had.  When we got there, we see this sign right off.  Do not feed the monkeys are we could be fined.   We only saw this couple down the path, it kinda looked like they were feeding these monkeys.  They want these monkey to fiend for them selves, not be depended on handouts.  They have a whole forest to work on.




John said that when he came with some Elder one time, the monkeys were out by the road when they got off the bus, they were all over the place, but that was probably when it was cooler then. Today was hot, so most of them were probably down in the cool of the forest.   They were friendly and was looking for a hand out of food.  This little mother was nursing her little one.  They were fun to watch.  We didn't stay to long.



After going to the Temple, an evening out at a out door restarunt with John's companions and their parents.

After going to the Temple, John wanted some new clothes like some Levis & shorts.  We went to this ritzy mall.  Crowds of people everywhere.  The prices were way to high, like Levis were $100.  So he knew a mall that wasn't so expensive, so were getting on the subway and John told Derek that for $20.  we could buy a pass and could ride the metro or buses anywhere until the $20. ran out.  Beside that it was just easier to show the pass or slide it through on the subway.  We found the mall and it was a lot cheaper.   We came to the conclusion that it's so comfortable in the mall, with the air conditioners, that people would rather be there than in their high rise apartments  with no air conditioners. This were means of recreation for them too.  Hong Kong enjoy a profusion of malls.  World famous labels to more moderate fashion centers.  To reduce the use of plastic shopping bags some store there are required to charge .50 for each bag.  So most people bring their own shopping bag.   We aught to do it more here as well.  The pictures above are in the mall, that one had that little house in its first floor.  I'm looking down on it.  And the train as an attraction.



From there we went to this out door  restaurant called Lok Yuen, it was crowed with people, so we thought they must have really good food.  John and his missionary buddies that stayed behind with their parents invited some of their converts to come join us for dinner, only the two young girls came.  They did the ording of food.  They did a good job, everyone liked what they ordered.  Even the fish that came with it's head and tail on.  It was funny they didn't provide us with a napkin, I needed one, so I asked the fellow who was helping to wait on us for one.  He said "The restroom is down that way.  I told him I didn't need a restroom I wanted something to wipe my hands and so he went over and brought back a bowl of water for me to wash my hands in.  It done the needed task, but I still had to wave them to get dry.




We were hungry as we hadn't had any thing since breakfast, so everything was good.  They brought out a big bowl of soup, then individual little bowls of rice and chop sticks,  we were to take some off the plates of food and put it on your little bowl of rice.  Eat that then put some more of another dish and put it on the rice, until you ran out of rice, you could have more if you wanted.  It was nice as we could really sample each dishes flavor and enjoy it.   We all got our fill.  Here is the fish in this block of pictures each of us had a taste of it.   It was a fun evening and everyone had a good time, and so did the young girls who came.  One of the Elder came dressed nice, John and others came in their relaxing P. day clothes.



The day we finally got to pick up John from Mission Home.



At last this is the day we go pick John  up.  This morning is the 17 of June, we have to leave early as the Mission home and Temple are across the street from one another in Kowloon and it will take a little time getting there.  We planed to take in a session at the Temple after picking John up.  It was raining, so we took a taxi.   Rita & Derek are so excited with anticipation as you see in the picture above, as we wait for the taxi.  We got there a little early thank goodness.  There was a wall around the Chapel,  we had to push a buzzer to get someone to open it.  About that time two Sister missionaries came out and we were able to go in. The  Chapel is fairly new.  It houses the Mission home.   We wait patiently inside the foyer of the chapel for Elder John Preece  to show up.




It wasn't long when the missionaries come in to find their parents, there were other couples there that had come to pick their missionary sons too.  Two were from Utah,  and one from Ft Worth Texas. In walked  John, handsome in his suit, he hugged his Mom for along time, it was good to watch and then hugged his dad and then finally I got a hug.  




The Mission Pres Chan and his wife came in and we all got to meet therm. They seemed like a very spiritual couple who loved their missionaries. A lot of pictures were taken. A picture was taken of the big group going home. We then were invited into the Culture Hall for a farewell breakfast.




They served some tasty meat rolls and milk and some cut up water melons.  We sat in a big circle and ate.  When we were through Pres Chan welcomed everyone and gave a little talk, there were about ten Elders leaving and they had to hurry off to the airport.



We went across the street to the Temple, its a beautiful building.  First John wanted a picture with some of the Elders he worked with.  I think some of them were in the M.T.C with him.  They wanted the Temple back ground.



Missionaries was sent to Hong Kong clear back in 1853.  This Temple was Dedicated in May 26 1996.  Pres. Hinckley announced plans for it in 1992, but  they had a difficult time trying to find a site to build on.  Because of the high cost of Real Estate, it was decided the temple would be built on the site of the existing Mission Home and  chapel, because of the shortage of land in the territory.  The temple had to be built up instead of spreading out, so the unique design of the building.  The 6 story building is designed to house not only the temple but also a chapel, mission office, and living quarters for the temple President and several  missionary's.  The session we went to consisted of 14 women and the same amount of men.  We wore head sets to hear English.  We went up for the prayer cycle and I got to be John's partner.  As  we went through the veil, all was English so that was easy.  The celestial room was just beautiful, Chinese vases with beautiful flowers decorated the area. It was peaceful and made our day special.